Saudi journalist murdered, how about the Saudi crown prince?

This video from the USA says about itself:

Will the Disappearance of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Bring Down the US-Saudi Alliance?

12 October 2018

Journalist James M. Dorsey says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) has suffered significant reputational damage on the eve of a major global trade conference known as Vision 2030 or “Davos in the Desert”.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

A group of [United States] Republican and Democratic politicians wants the president to step up pressure on Riyadh and impose sanctions. “The Saudis will continue to kill civilians and journalists as long as we continue to provide them with weapons“, wrote the Republican Senator Rand Paul on Twitter yesterday. “The president must immediately stop all arms sales and military support to Saudi Arabia.”

But Trump made it clear that he would not. “What good would that bring us? I am not for stopping a country to spend 110 billion euros – that’s an all-time record – and then have the money go to Russia and China”, he said, referring to the lucrative deal that he concluded last year with the Saudis …

US interests in Saudi Arabia

The Americans have more interests in the Sunni-Islamic kingdom. The US, and also many European countries, depend in part on the oil that comes from Saudi Arabia.

“And it’s not only about money, but also about power”, says correspondent Marcel van der Steen. “A joint enemy connects Washington and Riyadh: Iran, the allies want to reduce that country’s power in the region.”

The Republican senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged that. “Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner”, he said. “They are a sworn enemy of the Iranians and help us in the fight against terrorism.” …

…

Crown Prince’s cover is blown

A worsened relationship with the Saudis would seriously jeopardize all those interests. …

There has been criticism of the support given by the US to Saudi Arabia during the war in Yemen. The Saudis have been carrying out heavy bombing in the poverty-stricken country for years. With, what some call, the biggest humanitarian disaster of this moment as a result. At the same time crown prince Mohammad bin Salman locks up women’s rights activists and arrests citizens for ‘wrong’ messages they share on social media.

“The crown prince’s cover is blown more and more,” says correspondent Marcel van der Steen. “He presented himself as the great reformer who quickly implemented reforms in his own country, but it seems less and less that he really wants to change something, and I do not trust it anymore.”

But Trump has previously proven that he is not into dropping his allies. Two months ago, Saudi Arabia and Canada were embroiled in a diplomatic riot: the Saudis captured a prominent women’s rights activist with a Canadian passport, after which the Canadians demanded “immediate release”. The country asked the Americans (and Europeans) for support, but it did not get it.

“For the time being, it is therefore a question of what Turkey is going to do”, says Marcel van der Steen. “If President Erdogan very clearly points to Saudi Arabia in this disappearance case, then the US can not ignore it.”

As evidence mounts of Khashoggi’s murder. Trump rejects calls for US to end arms sales to Saudi monarchy: here.

As more and more details emerge about the disappearance on October 2 of the well-known Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, it is becoming clear that a monstrous crime has been committed with serious worldwide implications. The Turkish media has published photographs and video footage documenting the arrival at Ataturk airport—on the same day as Khashoggi’s disappearance—of a 15-member Saudi death squad. It included two air force officers, intelligence operatives and members of the elite personal guard of the Saudi monarchy. Also among them, according to Turkish authorities, was a forensics expert, who reportedly came equipped with a bone saw: here.

TRUMP WON’T STOP ARMS SALES OVER MISSING JOURNALIST President Donald Trump said he doesn’t “like” that Saudi Arabia may be involved in the reported assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but he certainly won’t stop U.S. arms sales to the kingdom on the back of one journalist. [HuffPost]

TURKEY OFFICIALS: THERE’S RECORDINGS OF THE MURDER The Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video recordings that prove Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month. [The Washington Post]